Cleaning and grading machines



Oct. 13, 1959 R. E. FREVERT CLEANING AND GRADING MACHINES Filed April 18, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. ROBERT E. FREVERT ATTORNEYS Oct. 13, 1959 Filed April R. E. F REVERT CLEANING AND GRADING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. ROBERT E FRE VERT FIG. 2

ATTORNEYS 1959 R. E. FREVERT 2,908,391

CLEANING AND GRADING MACHINES Filed April '18, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. ROBERT E. FREVERT ATTORNEYS 2,908,391 Patented Oct. 13, 1959 2,908,391 CLEANING AND GRADING Robert E. Frevert, Alma, Mich., assign'or to Crippen Manufacturing Company, Alma, Mich.

Application April 18, 1955, Serial No. 501,903

'10 Claims. (Cl. 209-315) This invention relates to grain or seed grading and cleaning machines, and more particularly to an improved machine of increased separating capacity which can be as readily employed for multiple scalping and grading operations as for multiple grading operations alone.

Various separating machines incorporating a plurality of vertically spaced shoes for increasing the capacity of the machines without requiring additional floor space are well known in the art, however these machines have not been adaptable to the performance of diversified operations. ,Diiferent grain mixtures contain varying amounts of foreign matter of larger size than the grain and frequently it is desirable to provide further scalping operations with various batches which must be processed in addition to the normal rough scalping operation which is initially performed in machines of this type.

One of the prime objects of the instant invention is to provide a machine of increased separating capacity which is capable ofperforrningfurther scalping operations where necessary, while also being capable of performing the usual grading and cleaning operations at highest capacity utilizing all available screen space.

A further object of chine of this type wherein the versatility of operation described does not require the various disposal chutes to carry material of variable content dependent on the operation being performed.

Another. object of the invention is to design a machine of the type described wherein certain screens and pans may be very rapidly interchanged by an operator in a minimum of time so that the machine can handle diversified products Without any appreciable down timeaccumulating for changeover.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved machine of this type wherein the pitch of the various screens and the brush assemblies associated with them may be very simply varied to suit the operation to be performed.

Another object of the invention is to design a machine in which the pitch of the various brush assemblies is automatically adjusted when the pitch of the screens is varied so that the brush assemblies will always be disposed in parallel relation with the screens and will function effectively to prevent blinding of all areas thereof.

A'still further object of the invention is to provide a highly efiicient and reliable machine of rugged and durable construction which can be very economically marmfactured and sold. J

' In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view partly in side elevation and partly in section of the machine which is shown performing multiple grading operations.

Fig. 2 is a similar view in which the machine is shown performing multiple 'scalping operations as well as grading operations. s

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, isometric view of a feed splitter which may be employed in the machine.

the invention is to design a ma blanks as will Each shoe is Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional, plan view illustrating the manner in which the interchangeable upper screen in each shoe is supported.

Fig. 5 is a transverse, 5-5 of Fig. 4. i

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, on the line 66 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view illustrating a mechanism, one or more of which may be used in the machine in place of one or more of the removable be described. fragmentary top plan view of this mechasectional view taken on the line side elevational View taken Fig. 8 is a nism.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings wherein I have shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, a letter F generally indicates the stationary frame of my machine which includes horizontal sills 10 and vertical connecting uprights 11. The frame supports an upper shoe 12 and a pair-of superposed parallel shoes 13 and 14 which are suspended from leaf springs 15 in the usual manner as illustrated in Fig. 5. preferably supported from the frame F by separate sets of leaf springs and eccentrics are used to vibrate the shoes in a substantially longitudinal direction in the usual manner. Typical eccentric means 7 are shown in Patent No. 2,683,533 issued July 13, 1954,

but any suitable means may mounted on a common drive independently to the shoes 13 and 14 and an eccentric on a vseparate drive shaft, timed with the other drive shafts, may be connected to the upper shoe 12. The means for supporting and vibrating the various shoes Will not be further described or shown inasmuch as they are conventional.

Returning now to Figs. 1 and 2, the upper shoe 12 includes an upper step 16 at the material receiving end of the shoe for receiving the grain or seed from a hopper 17 which is provided with the usual metering device 18. A scalping screen 19, mounted in the shoe 12, receives the grain from the step 16 and passes it to the floor 20 of theshoe 12 therebelow which as shown, is comprised of two portions 20a and 20b connected by a splitting or dividing device 21. The latter device, which splits off a portionof the grain, may comprise a plurality of spaced apart troughs 22, such as shown in Fig. 3, which direct part of the flow from the portion 20a to the portion 20b and permit the remainder of the flow to drop to an upper screen 23 in the intermediate shoe 13 which is removably supported on an inner frame or shoe 24 (see Figs. 4 and 5) within the shoe 13.

As will become apparent, each shoe 13 and 14 is designed in such a manner that the uppermost screens supported thereby may be readily interchanged and the pitch thereof varied in accordance with the operation which is to be performed. While only the manner in be employed. Eccentrics shaft may be connected which the shoe 13 supports its screens will be described,

it is to be understood that the shoe 14 supports its screens in the same fashion. The inner shoe 24 in each shoe 13 and 14 is fixed on trunnions 25 which are pivotally received in openings in the outer shoes as shown, and the top screens 23 and 26 in the shoes 13 and 14, respectively, which are shown supported on frames 27 on the shoes 24 may be lifted'and withdrawn out of the open ends of the shoes 13 and 14 and replaced with other screens as desired.

It will be seen that openings 28 and 29 are provided in both the inner shoe 24 and the outer shoe 13 respectively to pass the ends of transversely disposed tracks 30 which are arranged under each end of the screen 23. These tracks 30 may be fixed as at 31a to longitudinal rails or ties 31 which have tubular trunnions 32 secured centrally thereon. The trunnions 32 are pivotally supported from any one or more of the vertical supports 11 by bearing plates 33 having openings 33a to pass the trunnions. Collars 34 secured on the ends of the trunnions 32 by setscrews 34a prevent lateral play of the track frames formed by the tracks 30 and rails 31, but do not restrain tilting thereof in a vertical plane.

Adapted to be reciprocated transversely on the tracks 30 are conventional brush assemblies which include rollers 35 riding on the tracks 30. The rollers 35 are supported by bifurcated plates 36 which carry the brushes 37 as shown. Cords 38, secured to tabs 39 depending from the plates 36 and passing over pulleys 38a supported by the frame members 10 or 11, may be employed to continuously move the brush assemblies under both the screens 23 and '26 in the usual manner. Because the trunnions 32 are tubular the cords 38 which extend axially through them will not be displaced when the pitch of the screens and brush assemblies is adjusted and will remain in alignment with the pulleys 38a. Since the invention is not concerned with the means for moving the brush assemblies, I shall not show nor further describe the same except to mention that the patent previously referred to shows in detail means which could be employed.

From the split-off means 21 a portion of the grain passed through the scalping screen 19 drops to a removable plate 40 which is located adjacent to one end of the screen 23, and rests on the frame 27 and transverse angle members 400. Fixed to the plate 40 which, as shown in Fig. 1 has an opening therethrough, is a split-off or divider 41 of the same construction as the divider 21. At the lower end of the screen 23 a transversely, disposed disposal chute 42 is supported by the shoe 13 a spaced distance from the screen 23, and this space may or may not be bridged by a gate 43 which is pivotally mounted between the side plates of the shoe. The gate 43 will preferably be mounted on a shaft 44 which extends out an opening in the shoe 13, and has an actuating handle thereon. In Fig. 1 the gate 43 is down, and clearly no material is passed to the chute 42 which empties into a scalpings bin or bag (not shown) at the side of the machine. The screen 23 shown in Fig. l is a conventional grading screen which retains the grain and drops it off the lower end thereof to the floor 45'of the shoe below the screen. The fines pass through the screen 23 and drop to a removable blank or pan 46 just below the screen which empties into a fines chute 47. The pan 46 is supported from underneath by a frame 48 fixed between the sides of the shoe 1'3 and the chute 47 which empties into a fines bin or the like is similarly supported between the sides of the shoe 13 and extends out one side thereof. One wall of the chute 47 extends upwardly a sufficient distance to prevent downward sliding movement of the pan 46.

Beneath the divider 41, a platform 49 receives the flow which drops therethrough and passes it to a grading screen 50 of usually identical mesh with the screen 23. The latter screen, which is mounted on cleats 51 so that its pitch is fixed, similarly retains the grain and passes it to the floor 45 of the shoe while passing the fines to an upper portion 52 of the 'fioor below the screen 50 for transfer to a second fines chute 53.

As has been previously noted, the screens, brush assembly and the like in the lower shoe 14 are supported in exactly the same manner as they are supported in the shoe 13, and accordingly thesame numerals employed above have been used to designate certain identical elements which are associated with the shoe 14. The flow of grain from the portion 20b of the platform 20 passes into a removable chute 54 which leads to a removable platform 55 in the shoe 14. Here the grain passes into a divider 56 similar to the previously mentioned dividers which bridges the opening in the platform 55 and is secured thereon. Part of the grain passes over the screen 26 and E the end thereof to a discharge platform or floor 57 in the shoe 14. In so doing, it passes a pivotally mounted gate 58 which is down, but may be swung up to bridge the space between the screen 26 and a scalpings chute 59 as will later be described with relation to the performance of another operation. Supported by a frame 60 between the sides of the shoe 14 in a manner to permit its removal is a pan 61 which is provided under the screen 26, as is the pan 46 in the shoe 13, toempty into a fines chute 62. The portion of the material which drops through the divider 56 passes to a platform 63 and thence to a grading screen 64 of fixed pitch supported on cleats 65. The mesh of the screen 64 is usually identical with that of the screen 26 so that grain of the same size will pass over the screen and be discharged to the floor 57. The fines drop through the screen 64 to the upper portion 57a of the floor 57, and are discharged to a fines chute 66 identical to the fines chute 53, and emptying into the same bin.

A chute 67 in the floor of the shoe 13 empties the graded seed or grain into a chute 68 supported by the shoe 14 which leads to the floor 57 as shown. All of the graded material thence passes out of the machine through a chute 69 in the floor 57.

The grading operation above described will process a maximum amount of grain in which there is a normal amount of stones, cobs, clods of earth, and the like which must be removed in a scalping operation. The machine is unique however, in that it can be very rapidly adjusted to perform additional scalping operations when the concentration of stones and the like is heavier than .usual. In Fig. 2 the grading screen 23 has been removed and a scalping screen 23a substituted. Further, the selector gate 43 has been swung up to deliver scalpings to the chute 42 and the pan 46 has been removed so that the grain passing through the screen 23a passes to the grading screen 50 underneath. A plate 70 supported on the braces shown replaces the divider plate 40 and divider 41 so that all material delivered to the shoe 13 passes to the scalping screen 23a.

Similarly, in the lower shoe 14 a scalpings screen 26a replaces the grading screen 26 and a plate 71 is substituted for the divider plate 55 and divider 56. A pivotal shaft 72 having a handle on an end which extends out of the shoe 14 is pivoted to raise the gate 58 and transfer scalpings to the chute 59, and the pan 61 is removed.

When the machine is set up as it is shown in Fig. 2, clearly, it will perform a scalping operation in each of the shoes 13 and 14 in addition to grading the material and separating out the fines.

The shoes 24 are secured by providing series of openings 73 in the shoes 24 so that removable pins extending through the shoes 13 and 14 can be admitted to one of the openings in each shoe to serve to hold the inner shoes in adjustment relative to the outer shoes. This also, of course, locks the brush assemblies in position.

The operation of the machine should be clear from the above. The various screens, pans, dividers, and plates which are interchanged may be easily slipped in from one end of the machine. For this reason the chute 54 is hung so that it can be very easily lifted off. When it is desired to perform the additional scalping operations (as in Fig. 2) it will also be desirable to decrease the pitch of the screens 23a and 26a which are substituted.

' This can be very easily accomplished by simply removing the pins 74 from the openings 73 and adjusting the tilted position of the screens 23a and 26a in both shoes 13 and 14 which will automatically adjust the pitch of the brush assemblies below these screens whose trun- IllOIlS are free to pivot in the bearing plates 33. When the pins 74 are inserted again in diflerent openings 73, both the screens 23a and 26a and their brush assemblies are secured in tilted position. Obviously, to readjust the pitch of the screens 23 and 26 when they are restlibstituted for the screens 23a and 26a is equally simp e.

The scalping screen 19 in the uppermost shoe 12 performs a rough scalping operation, and the scalping operations performed by the screens 23a and 26a may be of a finer nature. While the screens 50 and 64 are fixed in pitch for grading, they may be interchanged with screens of ditferent mesh Also, the graded seeds or the like passing out at the rear of the shoes 13 and 14 may undergo an air separation, however since this forms no part of the instant invention apparatus for effecting the same will not be shown or described.

Inasmuch as the tracks 30 which carry the brushes 37 are not supported by the shoes but by the main frame F, the brushes will not be vibrated with the screens and it has been determined that the brushes in the instant machine will perform more eflectively.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown a series of plates 75, all of which are fixed on pivotal shafts 76 which may be journaledin a frame 75a supported between the sides of the shoes 13 and 14 on the frames 48 and 60. These plates which may replace the removable blanks 46 and 61 are so spaced that when they are pivoted to horizontal position as in Fig. 8, they form a continuous plate which will not pass seeds, grain or the like. When the plates are in the position in which they are shown in Fig. 7, they will, of course, pass the seeds or grain to the screens 50 and 64.

So that the plates 75 may be pivoted in unison, a connecting bar 77 is connected to each of them. A lever 78 pivoted to the frame 75a or to the outer wall of the shoe 13 or 14 at 79, and connected to the bar 77 at 80 may be employed to actuate the plates 75.

The shafts 76 are arranged at progressively lower levels in the shoes so that the continuous plates formed will be tilted as are the blanks 46 and 61, and will deliver fines to the chutes 47 and 62 when the shoes 13 and 14 are being employed for grading only. When the scalpings screens 23a and 26a are used the plates 75 are, of course, pivoted to the position shown in Fig. 7 to pass the seed or grain.

The gates 43 and 58 could also be of identical contruction with the units shown in Figs. 7 or 8 to either pass or retain the seed or scalpings respectively dependent on the operation being performed. Frames similar to 48 and 60 would have to be mounted in the outer shoes or the shafts on which the plates are mounted could be journaled directly in the sides of the outer shoes.

It should be apparent that I have perfected a very practical high capacity cleaning and grading machine which is unique in that it is so versatile. It is to be understood that various equivalent changes may be made in the machine to effect the intended results without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims and in all cases the foregoing descriptive text and drawings are to be interpreted as merely illustrating the invention rather than as in any way limiting the same.

I claim:

1. In a grain or seed cleaning and grading machine, a shoe mounted for vibratory movement, a pair of superposed screens supported by said shoe, means between said screens normally blocking the flow through the upper screen to the lower screen, means removably mounting said blocking means between said screens, and means for receiving a flow of material and selectively channeling it to both of said screens or only to the upper screen.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 in which said upper screen is removable so that a screen of different mesh may be substituted therefore, said screen being also pivotal so that its pitch may be adjusted.

3. The combination defined in claim 1 in which a discharge chute is provided in said shoe a spaced distance from the discharge end of said upper screen, and in which a selector gate is mounted for movement selecto process different materials.

' tively to bridge the space between said upper screen and relation thereto, an inner shoe pivotally supported substantially centrally by said outer shoe to pivot in a vertical plane to various positions of tilt, a pitched frame fixed on said inner shoe, an upper screen having a receiving end and a discharge end removably resting thereon, a receiving step spaced from the receiving end of said screen, support means for said step, said step having a flow divider for passing part of the material therethrough, a frame fixed in pitch a spaced distance below said pitched frame, a grading screen thereon having a discharge end, support meanscarried by said shoe fixed in pitch between said pitched frames for carrying an imperforate pan when certain operations are to be performed, said pan having a discharge end, a fines chute supported by said outer shoe below said latter support means and adjacent to the discharge end of said pan to receive material therefrom when said pan is in place, an inclined floor for said outer shoe under the grading screen and having a discharge chute therein, a fines chute at the discharge chute of said inclined floor, said inclined floor extending beyond said last mentioned fines chute for receiving material from the discharge end of said grading screen, a chute adjacent to the receiving end of the upper screen, and a selector gate pivotally mounted between said upper screen and the last mentioned chute bridging the latter in one position and passing material from said upper screen to said discharge fioor when pivoted to another position.

6. The combination defined in claim 5 in which a pair of transversely disposed tracks are provided one under each of the receiving and discharge ends of the upper screen, said shoes having enlarged openings of greater area than the cross sectional area of said tracks passing the ends of the tracks outwardly beyond said shoes, side ties connecting the ends of the tracks to form track frames, bearing plates rigidly supported by said main frame pivotally supporting the track frames so that the latter may be tilted in a vertical plane, and a brush assembly in contact with said upper screen movable to and fro on said tracks.

7. The combination defined in claim 6 in which said side ties have tubular trunnions projecting substantially centrally therefrom, said bearing plates having openings through which said trunnions extend, said inner shoe being provided with a series of vertically spaced openings at a spaced distance from the point of pivot thereof, and a pin extending through an opening in said outer shoe and received in one of said openings in the inner shoe to secure the upper screen in a position of tilted adjustment.

8. In a grain or seed cleaning machine, a main frame, an outer shoe supported by said frame to vibrate with relation thereto, an inner shoe pivotally supported by said outer shoe to pivot in a vertical plane to various positions of horizontally tilted adjustment, a pitched frame on said inner shoe, an upper screen having a receiving end and a discharge-end removably resting thereon, a frame fixed in pitch a spaced distance below said first mentioned pitched frame, a grading screen thereon, means supported by one of said frames for selectively passing all material to be cleaned to one of said screens or part of such material to each of said screens, means fixed in pitch between said pitched frames capable of arrangement selectively to pass material or not to pass material from the first mentioned screen to the second mentioned screen, a fines chute supported by said outer shoe below said latter means to receive material when said means is arranged not to pass material, a floor for said outer shoe under the grading screen, a fines chute for receiving fines passed through said grading screen to said floor, a discharge floor for receiving material not passed by said grading screen, a chute adjacent to the receiving end of the upper screen, and gate means interchangeably arranged to retain material and pass it to said last mentioned chute and to pass material to said discharge floor.

9. In a grain or seed cleaning and grading machine, supporting means; means mounting said supporting means for vibratory movements; a pair of vertically spaced, superposed screens supported by said supporting means, the arrangement of said screens being such that material passed through the upper screen falls by gravity towards the lower screen; means interposed between said screens for supporting movable blocking means operable selectively to block or pass material falling vertically towards the lower screen; and means for receiving a flow of material and selectively channeling it to the upper screen only or to both of said screens.

10. In a grain or seed cleaning and grading machine, a vibratable shoe, a stationary frame supporting said vibrata-ble shoe, a pair of superposed screens supported in similar tilted arrangement by said shoe, a pivotally supported frame and a first fixed frame supported one underneath the other by said shoe, the uppermost screen removably resting on the pivotal frame and the lower screen resting on the other frame, said pivotally supported frame comprising a shoe located within said vibnatable shoe, both of said shoes having openings therein, tracks extending through said openings beyond said shoes and disposed transversely relatively to said screens, means on said stationary frame pivotally supporting said tracks, a brush assembly movable to and fro on said tracks,- and a second fixed frame intermediate said sta tionary frame and said first fixed frame on which an imperforate plate removably may rest depending on the operation to be performed by said upper screen.

. References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

